WORLD CLIMATES

•  There are quite a few different climates found on planet Earth. A climate is the usual or average condition of the atmosphere (the layers of gases and air above Earth) in a certain area. Climate can change slightly from day to day, but you should think of it as what the weather is like most often.

• Scientists have identified eleven different climates on Earth. They are named either for the specific region where they can be found, or to describe the typical weather found there. In the polar regions of Earth, near the North Pole and the South Pole, there are two extremely cold climates: Ice caps and Tundra. In the warmer tropical regions near the equator, there are three separate climates: Monsoon, Wet, and Savannah/Grasslands. In the subtropical regions between the tropical regions and the polar regions, there are six different climates: Dry summer, Dry winter, Humid, Marine West Coast, Mediterranean, and Wet.

• Why are the warmest climates found near the equator?  The equator is at the widest surface of Earth, so the sun shines directly on it when Earth is facing the sun. Because Earth is a sphere, the surface curves as it moves away from the equator, and those areas receive less direct sunlight. The poles, at the top and bottom of Earth’s sphere, receive the least sunlight of all, and therefore have a layer of ice year-round.

 Name:__________________________________

Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm   your answers.

1)   What is a climate?

2)  What is the climate of the region where you live?

3)   Why is it coldest in the Polar Regions?

4)  How does the shape of Earth affect the climate of different regions?

5)  Are you more likely to have a warm climate in Canada or in Mexico? Why?